1812. A leaf from The History of the Abbey Church or St. Peter's Westminster: Its Antiques and Monuments, by Rudolph Ackermann. In 1795 Ackermann set up a lithographic press and opened a business in copper lithographs. Ackermann was a creative and efficient publisher, who brought innovative techniques to the commercial production of color plate books as well as an uncompromising attention to detail which ensured uniform high quality. Print method is Engraving-Aquatint on India paper, measuring 343 x 278 mm. or approximately 13 1/2 x 11 inches. Archivally matted. #48642. Very Good. More

1812. A leaf from The History of the Abbey Church or St. Peter's Westminster: Its Antiques and Monuments, by Rudolph Ackermann. In 1795 Ackermann set up a lithographic press and opened a business in copper lithographs. Ackermann was a creative and efficient publisher, who brought innovative techniques to the commercial production of color plate books as well as an uncompromising attention to detail which ensured uniform high quality. Print method is Engraving-Aquatint on India paper, measuring 343 x 278 mm. or approximately 13 1/2 x 11 inches. Archivally matted. #48672. Very Good. More

1727. An Arabic manuscript leaf of Ibrahim al-Shabrakhiti’s Sharh Mkhtasar Khalil, jurisprudence on Law (Maliki Law), copied by Abdul-Rahman bin Muhammad bin Abil-Qasim al-‘Anabi, from the library of Reinaud, North Africa, probably Algeria, dated AH 1140/ AD1727 on paper (220 x 160 mm.). Maliki is one of the four schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam, named for Malik ibn Anas (ca. 710-95), a leading jurist from Medina. This school recorded the Medina consensus of opinion, and uses hadith (tradition) as a guide. The Maliki branch of law uses community practice (sunna), prefer traditional opinions (ra'y) and analogical reasoning (qiyas) instead of a strict reliance on the hadith as a basis for legal judgment. There are twenty-five lines of Maghribi script in black ink with important words picked outr in red ink. Verso: twenty-five lines of Maghribi script in black ink with important words picked outr in red ink. Archivally matted with both sides of leaf visible. #25259. Very Good. More

Philadelphia: 1870. This well-known lithograph is from the work Birds of America by John James Audubon, which has been printed in many editions. This print is from the 7th printing conducted by Audubon and Roe Lockwood in 1870-1871. Lockwood’s involvement has led this edition to commonly be known as the Lockwood edition. Other than the colored backgrounds, which were added to the post-first editions, the main images on these prints are, for the most part, identical to those of the First edition and feature hand coloring. J.T. Bowen was lithographer for the work, which was published in Philadelphia. These are some of the best examples of hand-colored work in America and are highly collectible. They are on fine heavy stock paper measuring 6 7/8 x 10 ½ inches. Double matted in wood frame. #43659. Fine. More

1870. This well-known lithograph is from the work Birds of America by John James Audubon, which has been printed in many editions. This print is from the 7th printing conducted by Audubon and Roe Lockwood in 1870-1871. Lockwood’s involvement has led this edition to commonly be known as the Lockwood edition. Other than the colored backgrounds, which were added to the post-first editions, the main images on these prints are, for the most part, identical to those of the First edition and feature hand coloring. J.T. Bowen was lithographer for the work, which was published in Philadelphia. These are some of the best examples of hand-colored work in America and are highly collectible. They are on fine heavy stock paper measuring 6 7/8 x 10 ½ inches. Double matted in wood frame. #43662. Fine. More

1925. A set of four original costume drawings in pen, ink, and gouache for a 1925 Opera Gaston production. Each is signed "George Barbier" and three are also dated "1925." The four exquisite illustrations depict two women and two men in period 19th century costumes. The two women are dressed in gorgeous full gowns. One is in a white ball gown with a multicolored floral design. The other woman is in a daytime costume, with a dark blue full-length shawl and a charming bonnet. The two men are dressed in corresponding attire - one in evening dress and one in a long fur trimmed coat wearing a top hat. Each of the illustrations has handwritten notes on their backs, primarily in pencil, that seem to refer to characters and stage information. Each is numbered with Barbier's name and their numbers - 4, 13, 17, and 20. The drawings are in near fine condition with the slightest aging to paper borders. They are on sheets of paper measuring 8.5 x 10.26 inches. The figures are about 8.5 inches high.The French artist George Barbier (1882-1932) was one of the most sophisticated and prolific illustrators and designers of his era. His Art Deco creations using the techniques of pochoir printing were both modern and classic, highly stylized, and extremely colorful. He became extremely popular after his first exhibition at the age of twenty-nine, and was widely sought after to design theater and ballet costumes, illustrate books, and most notably to produce haute couture fashion illustrations. He was somewhat forgotten after his early death at age fifty, but there has been strong renewed interest in his work in recent years. This began with an exhibition at the Fortuny Museum in Venice in 2008, "George Barbier: The Birth of Art Deco," which was the first posthumous exhibition of his work. ORIG/080516. More

A set of four original drawings in pen, ink, and gouache for an amateur theater production in Paris each signed by Barbier.The French artist George Barbier (1882-1932) was one of the most sophisticated and prolific illustrators and designers of his era. His Art Deco creations using the techniques of pochoir printing were both modern and classic, highly stylized, and extremely colorful. He became extremely popular after his first exhibition at the age of twenty-nine, and was widely sought after to design theater and ballet costumes, illustrate books, and most notably to produce haute couture fashion illustrations. He was somewhat forgotten after his early death at age fifty, but there has been strong renewed interest in his work in recent years. These charming drawings were done early in Barbier’s career when his style wasn’t yet fully matured. Early work by well known artists is important; although, less valuable. Three of the illustrations are full length figures, two of bearded men and one young boy shown dancing. The fourth drawing depicts the heads of two men and two women, labeled A, B, C, and D. All are in near fine condition, although along the top of the back of each sheet of paper is a glue remnant where once mounted on something. 7.25 x 10.25 inches. ORIG/080816. More

1911. The French artist George Barbier (1882-1932) was one of the most sophisticated and prolific illustrators and designers of his era. His Art Deco creations using the techniques of pochoir printing were both modern and classic, highly stylized, and extremely colorful. He became extremely popular after his first exhibition at the age of twenty-nine, and was widely sought after to design theater and ballet costumes, illustrate books, and most notably to produce haute couture fashion illustrations. He was somewhat forgotten after his early death at age fifty, but there has been strong renewed interest in his work in recent years. This beautiful pochoir illustration is a Greek fan composition that had appeared in an album done for the French fashion designer, Jeanne Paquin, who was the first woman to head a major Parisian fashion house. The album, limited to 300 copies, comprised seven plates done by Paul Iribe, Georges Lepape, and Barbier. Of the seven plates this was the only one by Barbier. It is a classical image of Pan playing his pan-pipes, and a dancer and a couple in a woods. The design and colors are quintessential Barbier, with its stylized design and deeply rich colors. There is a small black and white drawing of Pan on the lower right border. Printed on a 13.5 x 17.5 sheet. A few light spots on the white borders otherwise in near fine condition. ORIG/072916. More

[Paris]: 1920. The French artist George Barbier (1882-1932) was one of the most sophisticated and prolific illustrators and designers of his era. His Art Deco creations using the techniques of pochoir printing were both modern and classic, highly stylized, and extremely colorful. He became extremely popular after his first exhibition at the age of twenty-nine, and was widely sought after to design theater and ballet costumes, illustrate books, and most notably to produce haute couture fashion illustrations. He was somewhat forgotten after his early death at age fifty, but there has been strong renewed interest in his work in recent years. This beautiful and scarce pochoir illustration was used in the 1921 French book of fairy tales "Le Carrosse Aux Deux Lezards Verts" (The Coach Pulled by Two Green Lizards). It is an Arabesque scene with two women in the forefront of a a depiction of an Oriental location. It is signed by Barbier with his initials and the date 1920. The design and colors are quintessential Barbier, with its stylized design and deeply rich colors. The illustration is 4.25 x 6.25 inches and is mounted on a 6.5 x 8 inch sheet of paper. Both the illustration and the sheet of paper have vertical cuts to the bottom left and right edges. The paper sheet has a few light spots on its right edge not affecting the illustration, which is in near fine condition. ORIG/080316. More

Albuquerque, NM: Peoples Gallery, IMS Corporation, 1972. Paperback. Reproduced from original, which was printed in 1895. This large, full color poster depicts a large variety of animals and groups of costumed dancers (Native Americans, Middle Eastern, and others). The bottom caption reads "A Glance at the Great Ethnological Congress and Curious Led Animals as Seen in the Spacious and Colossal Menagerie Tent." A few spots of foxing to white margins of poster along with a few small chips to edges, and minor discoloration to one corner (affecting the white margin only), but clean and bright overall. A large poster measuring 33 x 25 inches. PRINT/081517. Very Good. More

[1893]. An original drawing by Aubrey Beardsley. Beardsley (1872-1898) is the best known illustrator from the British 1890s. He lived a tragically short time, dying of tuberculosis at the age of 25. This lovely major work, the epitome of Beardsley’s style of art nouveau, is for the spine of the binding cases of Sir Thomas Malory, Le morte Darthur, published by J. M. Dent, 1893-94, Beardsley’s first important commission. The book's title (spelled incorrectly as “La Morte Darthur”), author, publisher, and date are included in the design, which is in fact drawn on four separate pieces of paper that have been adhered together. Malory's Le Morte Darthur, published by Dent has been described as incomparable. The same can be said of Aubrey Beardsley's beautiful and remarkable designs (a term he preferred to "illustrations"). Beardsley was only 20 years old when Dent commissioned him to do all of the designs for this work. It was a leap of faith by Dent in taking a chance on an unproven artist. The illustrations were done during 1892-1894 for the initial issue in parts, beginning in June 1893. The design is done in ink on paper with pencil under-drawing showing the change from the initial position of the leaves, on four separate pieces of paper, the title and top border inset above the ornamental panel ; 27 x 6.7 cm. Framed. In fine condition. Provenance: J. M. Dent. Exhibited: “Burne-Jones, The Pre-Raphaelites, and their Century,” Peter Nahum, London, 1989, 165 (listed in catalogue vol. I, p. 166-167, reproduced. vol. 2, pl. 124); “Beautiful Decadence,” Japan, 1998, 7 (reproduced in catalogue). Literature: Ian Fletcher, Aubrey Beardsley, 1987, p. 128-129; A. E. Gallatin, Aubrey Beardsley: Catalogue and Bibliography, 1945, p. 33; Mark Samuels Lasner, A Selective Checklist of the Published Work of Aubrey Beardsley, 1995. ORIG/011116. More

[1897]. Original caricature done in ink on paper. The caricature celebrates the opening night of The Happy Life, a play by Louis N. Parker and Murray Carson, staged at the Duke of York’s Theatre, London, in 1897. It depicts Parker (standing atop the Duke of York’s column), Carson, and Max (top hat and wasp-waisted coat) himself drinking champagne. Both Parker and Carson were important dramatists at the turn of the century; Beerbohm would later collaborate with Carson on a one-act “curtain-raiser” in 1914, The fly on the wheel. Inscribed “Best wishes in a great success. December 6 ’97” and signed “Max.” Unrecorded; not in Hart-Davis’s catalogue of Beerbohm’s caricatures. In near fine condition and nicely framed. 20 x 25.4 cm. ORIG/011216. More

c 1919. Original Illustrations. An original ink wash drawing inscribed with name of the subject and signed by Max. Not dated, but from the early 1900s. Nathaniel Goodwin (1857-1919) was a leading American actor and vaudevillian, also known for his colorful personal life. (He was married five times and was engaged again at the time of his sudden death from apoplexy.) He was the subject of Beerbohm’s radio broadcast, “Nat Goodwin - and Another,” published in the Radio Times, accompanied by a reproduction of this caricature. The drawing shows an unsmiling profile of Goodwin in white tie, smoking a cigar. Done in black and white wash on dark cream colored paper. In near fine condition, in a gold frame with white matte. This came from the collection of Douglas Cleverdon, who produced Max’s broadcasts. Drawing measures 7 x 10.5 inches. In the frame it is 13 x 17.5 inches. Near Fine. ORIG/092111. Near Fine. More

Paris: 1785. The Silver Striped Herring, The Herring Carp. Plate number 408 from the book Ichithyologi, Ou Histoire Naturelle, Generale Et Particuliere, Des Poissons. Printed in Paris and Berlin, 1785 – 1797. Size: 8 1/2 inches x 15 3/8 inches. Marcus Bloch, 1723 – 1799, was a German physician from Berlin who spent the earlier part of his career studying intestinal worms. At the age of 57, Bloch turned to the study of fish, and set the task of providing full descriptions and illustrations, in a splendid style, of the species known to him. One of the earliest students of fish, Bloch published a series of fish prints titled: Ichithyologi, Ou histoire naturelle generale et particuliere, Des Poissons, in which he described over 200 species for the first time. The prints remained a primary reference source for the next century. Bloch issued folio and octavo prints and each specimen was engraved on a copper plate and then hand-colored with watercolors. The plates contain the names of each fish in several languages. Framed. #34603. Near Fine. More

Paris: 1785. Snapper. Plate number 256 from the book Ichithyologi, Ou Histoire Naturelle, Generale Et Particuliere, Des Poissons. Printed in Paris and Berlin, 1785 – 1797. Size: 8 1/8 inches x 15 7/8 inches. Marcus Bloch, 1723 – 1799, was a German physician from Berlin who spent the earlier part of his career studying intestinal worms. At the age of 57, Bloch turned to the study of fish, and set the task of providing full descriptions and illustrations, in a splendid style, of the species known to him. One of the earliest students of fish, Bloch published a series of fish prints titled: Ichithyologi, Ou histoire naturelle generale et particuliere, Des Poissons, in which he described over 200 species for the first time. The prints remained a primary reference source for the next century. Bloch issued folio and octavo prints and each specimen was engraved on a copper plate and then hand-colored with watercolors. The plates contain the names of each fish in several languages. Framed. #34607. More

New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1872. Leaf from William Cullen Bryant's Picturesque America. This work is a delineation by pen and pencil of the mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, water-falls, shores, canyons, valley, cities and other picturesque features of our country. Print method is wood engraving on heavy paper. This print was never washed with some foxing in the margins only. Print measures approximately 9.45 x 10.63 in. Archivally matted. #51945. Fine. More

Ulm, Germany: Johann Reger. This is a full-page incunabula leaf woodblock print with caption in Latin on paper from the "Rhodiorum Historia or History" of Rhodes by Guillelmi Caoursin which is one of the few incunabula that mentions the Order of St. John. Johann Reger printed it in the German city of Ulm in 1496. The leaf measures 274 x 194 mm with a 212 x 125 mm print entitled: "Beorius to be Hung." The verso contains 29 lines of Gothic script printed single column in Latin. (Hain 4368). Framed. #2029. Fine. More

Easthampton, MA: Cheloniidae Press, 2016. Limited to 100 copies. Signed and numbered by the artist. This is one of the Cheloniidae Press's first new works in twenty years. It is a letterpress printed broadside featuring an image of Washington Irving's headless horseman from 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' and the quote "If there were no books ... there would be no Headless Horseman" Printed by Master Printer Art Larson from a relief etching by Alan James Robinson on archival Cranes Lettra paper. Size: 11 x 14 inches. PRI/062016. Fine. More

Easthampton, MA: Cheloniidae Press, 2016. 3 of 100 copies. Signed and numbered by the artist. This is one of the Cheloniidae Press's first new works in twenty years. It is a letterpress printed broadside featuring an image of a whale and the quote "If there were no books ... there would be no Moby Dick!" Printed by Master Printer Art Larson from a relief etching by Alan James Robinson on archival Cranes Lettra paper. Size: 11 x 14 inches. PRI/062016. Fine. More

Easthampton, MA: Cheloniidae Press, 2018. Limited to 100 copies. Signed and numbered by the artist. This is a letterpress printed broadside featuring an image of Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet and the quote "If there were no books ... there would be no Ophelia" Printed by Master Printer Art Larson from a relief etching by Alan James Robinson on archival Cranes Lettra paper. Size: 11 x 14 inches. PRI/041317. Fine. More

Easthampton, MA: Cheloniidae Press, 2016. 3 of 100 copies. Signed and numbered by the artist. This is one of the Cheloniidae Press's first new works in twenty years. It is a letterpress printed broadside featuring an image of a unicorn and the quote "If there were no books ... there would be no Unicorns!" Printed by Master Printer Art Larson from a relief etching by Alan James Robinson on on archival Cranes Lettra paper. Size: 11 x 14 inches. PRI/062016. Fine. More

Easthampton, MA: Cheloniidae Press, 2018. 3 of 100 copies. Signed and numbered by the artist. This is one of the Cheloniidae Press's first new works in twenty years. It is a letterpress printed broadside featuring an image of a cat and the quote "If there were no books ... there would be no Black Cat!" This broadside references Edgar Allan Poe's classic short story "The Black Cat." Printed by Master Printer Art Larson from a relief etching by Alan James Robinson on on archival Cranes Lettra paper. Size: 11 x 14 inches. PRI/062016. Fine. More